


Fantomo: Ghostly Beginnings (Hiatus)

by SpectralTigerParadox



Series: Fantomo [1]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, Danny Phantom
Genre: Bruce Wayne is Batman, Damian Wayne is Robin, Dick Grayson is Nightwing, Jason Todd is Red Hood, Major Character Injury, Minor Character Death, Tim Drake is Red Robin, Violence, ghost hunger au, i guess
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-03
Updated: 2019-01-20
Packaged: 2019-07-06 15:58:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 21,537
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15889293
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpectralTigerParadox/pseuds/SpectralTigerParadox
Summary: After saving the world from the Disasteroid, Danny has been having trouble with both his family and friends. As well as all of his adoring fans. Everything begins to spiral down hill even further when a rogue observant begins to plot against Danny after his death day. During his quest to put an end to his new enemy Danny makes an unlikely friend, learns a life changing secret, and makes a decision that will change his life forever.





	1. The Phantom Of Amity Park - Part One

A few months have passed since the Disasteroid incident. A few months since Jack and Maddie began treating him differently. Maybe he was too hopeful to believe nothing would change… That they would still love him as much as before. Now a days if anything, _absolutely anything_ , went wrong he is blamed.

 

“ _Oh No! I dropped a piece of paper. This is **obviously** the work of a ghost!_ ” Danny mockingly thought.

 

They blame him for anything and everything that goes wrong. He was blamed if dinner was a little over or under cooked. He was blamed if an invention explodes or just doesn’t work. He was blamed because he is a convent scapegoat. The only people that ever ask for his side of the story are his sister, friends, and Vlad.

 

Now he doesn’t even stay at Fenton Works due to his rocky relationship with Jack and Maddie. He got in too many arguments with them to even bother going back to their home. A majority of the time he hangs out with his friends in the Ghost Zone. Vlad was more than happy to let Danny use his ghost portal. Well, as long as he occasionally spends quality time with the old fruit-loop.   

 

Skulker is the one ghost he tends to stay with when he was in the Ghost Zone. They actually became pretty good friend, despite all the fighting they used to do. The ghost hunter loves to teach Danny new hunting tricks and techniques. Danny is grateful the hunter no longer wanted his _pelt_ … Just thinking about it made him shiver.

 

He never did find out if his pelt included his cloths or not. Danny prayed his cloths would have been include. It was just weird to think of Skulker having his bare ‘pelt’ sitting above a fireplace. Then again, Skulker probably wouldn’t care since he is not a human ghost.  

 

Light filtered through the blinds of his room at Vlad’s mansion. A big canopy bed, which he is currently laying in, donning midnight blue sheets sat in the middle of the giant room.  Sky blue walls surround the room accompanied by a matching rug on the floor. Other than the nightstand and clock next to his bed the room is bare. Danny did not care enough about his stuff from Fenton Works to go fetch it.

 

Sam or Tucker would have happily let him stay at their house, but all of his fans were getting way too intense. The last thing they need is a mob of Phantom’s fans at their front door. “ _At least I’m popular now._ ” He bitterly thought.

 

He rarely saw Sam or Tucker due to the curse of popularity. After the Disasteroid, he and Sam had a more romantic relationship. Unfortunately, the longer he is away from her the more he felt that spark of love they share vanish. There are often many interruptions whenever they do ever manage to spend time together. They would hang out in the Ghost Zone if it was human friendly. Sadly, the Ghost Zone will never be compatible with humans.

 

Tucker has also been drifting away from him. They used to be great friends, but now it is almost like they do not know each other anymore. Danny missed the days no one knew who he is. If his secret identity was never compromised then maybe he and Tucker would still be good friends or he could have actually dated Sam. It is very unlikely Clockwork would rewind time for him again.

 

Clockwork has taken the role of his ghost guardian. Vlad would have jumped at the chance to be his ghost guardian but he is already Danny’s guardian in the realm of the living. It was strange and scary that fruit-loop managed to become more of a father to him than Jack. The moment Jack wanted a sample of Danny’s blood was the moment he fled to Vlad.

 

At least he did not need to worry about Vlad trying to experiment on him. Sure Vlad had done some pretty messed up stuff in the past, but he was just lonely and need someone to spend time with. Loneliness does crazy things to people. After they started spending more time together Vlad got a lot better. He did not even look in Maddie’s direction anymore. Their behavior toward Danny disgusted Vlad, especially the fact they claimed they still loved Danny, evidence proved otherwise. 

 

Danny had not been very excited for today, his death day. How can anyone be excited for the day they half died? He knew a few of his ghost friends have surprises for him today. Maybe they planned a party or something? Either way he would find out later… If he decides to leave his room today.   

 

A gentle knock vibrated throughout the room. “Daniel, you can’t hide in your room all day.” Vlad firmly stated. With a sigh Danny dragged himself out of bed and quickly glanced at the clock on his nightstand. “There goes spending the day in bed.” Danny grumbled. According to the clock it was already noon. He sauntered over to the door and slow opened it so it would creak.

 

“Is making that obnoxious noise truly necessary?” Vlad asked with a hint of annoyance. The fruit-loop is dressed in his usual attire, a black suit. A black suit is definitely better than a white suit. The Guys in White ruined the color white for Danny.  If he ever saw them again it would still be too soon. “Yes.” Danny immediately replied.

 

Vlad took a good look at the young man in front of him. Danny was wearing a black shirt with a blue circle in the middle and blue jeans.  He had been quite surprised when the boy decided to abandon his signature shirt. The boy slouched in the door way, messy raven hair hanging in his face, his icy blue eyes dull and a deep frown on his face. “Not looking forward to the day, little badger?” Vlad questioned, a look of concern on his face.

 

Danny let out a humorless laugh. “Can anyone really look forward to the day they died?” He retorted. His response made Vlad appeared uncomfortable. Vlad muttered ‘butter biscuits’ under his breath, Danny’s super hearing allowed him to hear it. “ _Great. I’m making Vlad worry about me even more than he already is._ ” Danny thought.

 

Vlad knew ghost have a tendency to become depressed around their death day. He was worried this would happen to Daniel. After all he has experienced it himself when he was young. It was far from being a pleasant experience. 

 

“No. When I was young even I never looked forward to my death day.” Vlad hesitantly answered, thinking of a way to cheer up Danny. He knew Danny wasn’t close to his human friends anymore, the likeliness of them chasing away some of Daniel’s death day depression was slim. Jasmine left for college and was not going to return for quite some time. 

 

Maddie and Jack would only make it worse. Vlad would have to completely die for those two to manage get in the same state as Daniel. Even then he would transform into a full ghost and haunt them to death if they dared to get too close to Daniel. Perhaps some of the ghost Daniel befriended could help.

 

_“That’s it! How could I have forgotten about Daniel’s death day present?”_ Vlad thought. _“The blasted thing was shrieking enough to wake the partially dead.”_   Of course that would have to wait until after lunch, he was determined to make sure Danny ate something today. 

 

_“I always thought Vlad liked being a halfa. Guess his spirit lifted eventually.”_ Danny thought to himself during Vlad’s un-diabolical planning. “Well, little badger, what would you like for lunch?” Vlad asked, hopefulness creeping into his voice. Danny stopped to consider this for a moment. Now that he thought about it he hadn’t been hungry at all recently. When was the last time he ate?

 

“I guess, some fruit or yogurt.” Danny replied after some consideration. Despite not eating for the past few days he did not feel the bite of hunger nibbling at his stomach. “Are you sure you don’t want something more filling?” Vlad said, his look of concern shifting to worry. Vlad knew for a fact Danny had not eaten in a least a week. Was Daniel starting to feed off emotions like other ghosts? 

 

It made sense. When Daniel activated the ghost portal he was hit with a larger amount of ecto-energy than Vlad. He was likely more ghost than Vlad himself. That explains why the boy had hardly grown since they first met and why he did not need to eat as much as a normal human. Daniel did agree to eat something so that was a win.

Lunch went by fairly quickly. Danny managed to eat an apple and some strawberries. His stomach was rebelling against him though. The pain was worth it since Vlad looked so happy he actually ate. Currently he was following Vlad down one of his mansion’s various long hallways that lead to his secret lab. Apparently that is where his death day give from Vlad was because it was too noisy.

 

What on earth could Vlad have gotten him that was loud and according to Vlad annoying? As Danny was lost in thought he failed to notice Vlad stop in front of one of the lab’s hidden entrances. Thus causing him to continue walking straight past Vlad.

 

“Little badger, the door is over here.” Vlad awkwardly pointed out. Vlad’s sudden speech snapped Danny out of his thoughts. Danny then embarrassedly rubbed the back of his neck as he returned to Vlad’s side.  “Sorry. I was lost in thought.” Danny admitted. A small smile tugged at Vlad’s lips. “It’s okay, little badger.” Vlad stated reassuringly.

 

When they began their descent to the underground lab Danny could not help getting excited. He had no idea what Vlad had gotten for him. Which was why it was so exciting. It was almost impossible to keep a secret from Danny and the very fact Vlad managed to do such a thing made him look forward to his gift even more.

 

“Here we are.” Vlad announced. The lab was as clean as the last time Danny had been working there. The spotless charcoal grey floors and light grey walls almost sparkled. The lab walls and floor used to be pure white but after a few run-ins with the Guys in White Vlad decided to change them. He despised the organization almost as much as Danny.

 

Suddenly a blur of pitch black feathers speed past them. “There’s that blasted bird.” Vlad said, annoyance creeping in to his voice. “I remembered you once said ‘it would be cool to have a pet owl’ so I acquired one for you.” Danny was ecstatic. A pet owl. How had he have not guessed that? Then again it had been a long time since he mentioned wanting one to Vlad. He should have remembered Vlad actually listened to him, unlike Jack who brushed over or ignored the things the interested Danny.

 

Soon the frown that had graced Danny’s face all day was replaced with a happy grin. “An owl. You really got me an owl! I’m going to name him… or her Spooky!” Danny excitedly exclaimed. “Is it a boy or a girl?” Danny crept toward the horned owl, which was now perched upon a counter, as to not startle it or scare it away. “Well… I can’t really say for sure. That foolish breeder never said what gender it is.” Vlad admitted. “I did not think you would care and I did not want to ruin the surprise.” Vlad was right, Danny could care less what gender it was.

 

For the sake of not calling it him/her for the rest of its life he concluded Spooky would be known as a girl. It had been one of Danny’s dreams to own an owl and the one Vlad picked was perfect. Spooky had pitch black feathers, a splotch of white on her head, and bright yellow eyes. When Danny got in range of the owl she flew straight at him and landed herself on his right shoulder.

 

“I love her!” Danny whispered. Vlad on the other hand was worried Danny would pass out from excitement. He was pleased that his gift made Daniel so happy, even if he was slightly worried. “Well, little badger, I am sure you will have plenty of time to bond with Spooky after we visit some of your ghost friends.” Vlad reluctantly spoke, as he watched Danny gush over the horned owl.

 

Danny immediately deflated a little, it wasn’t that he did not want to see his friends he just wanted to spend more time with Spooky. But Vlad was right. He would have plenty of time to play with Spooky later. Plus it has been far too long since her last saw some of his partners in ghosting.

 

 “All right.” Danny sadly stated, reluctantly removing Spooky from his shoulder and gentle placing her in a room cage he had not noticed before. “Let’s go.” The portal door dramatically opened as Danny and Vlad walked over. Before stepping through the green swirling vortex both halfas transformed into their alter egos. 


	2. The Phantom  Of Amity Park - Part Two

The Ghost Zone was as ominous as ever, swirling green vortexes along with various types and sizes islands were scattered across the void. Purple windows, doors, the occasional lone wall, and staircase to nowhere littered the gravity defying space. Danny was headed for Skulker's island at the moment, his ghostly tail swishing behind him as he sped through the zone. 

 

A signature black and white hazmat suit no longer adorned his muscular spectral figure. Returning to Vlad's mansion constantly covered in battle wounds eventually caused the fruit-loop to snap and demand Danny wear more protective gear. In its place was a well fit, black, T-shirt accompanied by a matching pair of pants similar in appearance to jeans. Both of which were fashioned out of a material known as Kevlar. His feet sported black, steel toed, combat boots with the laces his signature green color. Vlad had managed to talk him into wearing Kevlar socks underneath them. A neon green, finger-less, glove sat on his left hand, while his right hand wore a black one. In spite of Vlad's insistence that Danny's costume be make of Kevlar, the gloves were leather.

 

On top of all that, he wore a black, Kevlar, hooded trench coat with a neon green inner lining. The hood of said coat currently down, revealing his marginally depressed expression and stark white hair. His ghostly skin unusually pale and neon green eyes dim, barely showing any life. The black domino mask he wears to hide his identity was currently stashed in a secret pocket on the inside of his coat. After his secret identity was discovered by the entire world he gained a new appreciation for disguises and masks. Out of all his new apparel none bore the trademark symbol of Danny Phantom that Sam created. Danny had opted to rid himself of it weeks ago after a particularly terrible date with Sam transpired. 

 

Unfortunately, he was traveling alone. Vlad had been with him but something important came up causing him to leave Danny to visit his friends alone. Danny had no idea what was so important to make Vlad go back to the realm of the living. The once lonely ghost always loved visiting the supernatural realm of the dead. 

 

"Maybe the fruit-loop finally got a date?" Danny said to no one, as he traversed the green skies of the Ghost Zone. Joy flooded his chest at the thought of Vlad finding a nice lady or gentleman to spend the rest of his half-life with. Despite the extreme improbability of that ever transpiring. "Hm. That's about as likely as a non-transparent ghost or a Fenton invention without the name Fenton in the title." he muttered. The mention of the Fentons no longer bothered Danny. If they did not want him in their lives then it was their loss. 

 

Excitement clawed at him as he flew to one of his best friend's lairs, but not enough to chase away his death day depression. Skulker was one of the best ghosts to visit first since Danny could also see Ember while he is there. They also lived the closest to Vlad's Wisconsin portal. The two ghosts were dating and possible getting married soon. Now they shared a lair. Well it was more like they moved their lairs closer together. Ghost courtship was one of the most confusing aspects of ghost culture. Danny did know for certain that for whatever reason it entailed ghosts move their lairs closer together. 

 

Curiosity mixed with excitement as Danny pondered what the hunter had planned for his death day. _"A hunting trip is a strong possibility."_ Danny concluded. The thoughts of his spectral friend reminded him of his more lively ones. Not once today had he received any message from Sam or Tucker. Jazz had taken the time out of her busy schedule to message him. Why couldn't Sam and Tucker? It hurt... They were supposed to be his best friends yet they had not talked to him in two weeks. Maybe they just forget? _"No, they would not have forgotten my death day... Or would they?"_ Danny questioned, his superhuman speed diminishing as well as his previous happy emotions. A light frown present on this pale face. 

 

Had Sam and Tucker joined the dark side? Had they decided join Maddie and Jack in expressing their distaste for him? Perhaps they would create the 'let's despise and tear Danny apart molecule by molecule' club. "They wouldn't... They're my friends." Danny attempted to convince himself, the next sentence spoken in an agitated grumble. "And I am talking to myself. Great." A scowl replacing the frown for a moment. It had been Sam who convinced him to celebrate the day she basically killed him and he had every right to be a little bitter about it. She even had the audacity to never apologize for almost turning him into a crispy piece of Danny jerky. 

 

Why did he love her in the first place? For all he knows she could still be dating Elliot, aka Gregor, the one GIW member Danny was tempted to permanently take care of. His inner turmoil leading to him practically fly by his destination, Skulker and Ember's lair. One sharp left turn later and he was once again traveling in the proper direction. 

 

Tall jungle trees native to the island stretched high into the endless space, decorated with thick vines and various exotic flora. He had never once thought he would find an eerie jungle island with a skull on it homey. After spending weeks on the island with Skulker he found out it was surprisingly beautiful. Especially when he was not running for his life or potentially in danger of losing his 'pelt'. 

 

Ember's lair was without a doubt just as unique as her. Bright blue flames engulfed the lair, while an oddly normal one story house sat in the center. Danny was shocked when he had first laid eyes on it. A regular house on a perpetually flaming island was not where he expected the fiery pop singer to live. He had always imagined it would be flashy and over the top. 

 

Once at the edge of the island Danny slowly flouted towards the dark grass ground, his spectral tail transforming into a pair of legs. He would have flown straight to Skulker's skull house but past experiences taught him that walking the rest of the way was a wise choice. Let's just say he got tangled up in some vines and Skulker will never let him live it down. It was defiantly something Danny did not plan on repeating... a third time. Plus it was a short walk to Skulker's strange residence. 

 

Danny admired the unique assortment of colorful flowers as he made his way to a house any normal human would consider foreboding. Once at his destination he noticed the lack of light from the giant skull house. _"Maybe he's not home."_ Danny thought, treading through the house's opening. Right after Danny stepped in the room the lights flicked on and he was meet with a chorus of shouts from some of his ghostly friends. Each wearing their usual clothes. Or armor in Skulker's case. 

 

"Happy death day, Whelp." Skulker loudly proclaimed, far too loudly if the pain that shot through Danny's ears was an indication. 

 

"Happy death day, Dipstick!" Ember cheered, most likely attempting to be heard.

 

"Happy death day, Danny." Kitty yelled, competing with Ember on who could be the loudest.

 

"Congratulations on living to your second death day, Phantom." Sidney Poindexter excitedly hollered. Though not quite as loudly as the three ghosts that had a vendetta against Danny's ears. The sentiment behind the words was kind, even if it was a bizarre thing to say. Most new ghosts rarely lived passed their first death day. Ghost hunters and teens dabbling in the dark arts normally destroyed them before they had a chance.

 

"Kid, Happy death day." Johnny 13 casually congratulated, a light smile on his face. His voice drowned out by the combined loudness of Skulker, Ember, Kitty, and Sidney.

 

Danny could hardly understand a word any of them said as they spoke in unison. "Thanks." Danny said politely, hoping they did indeed congratulate him and not take the moment to insult him. As he scanned the interior of the skull he noted the absurd amount of decorations. Bright green and black party streamers, ghost shaped confetti, balloons, and glitter were literally everywhere. Danny assumed Ember and Kitty handled the decorations. He could only pray he would not be picking glitter off his shoes for years. Hell it would be a miracle if he did not leave a trail of the horrific sparkly stuff.

 

"We tried to invite some of your other acquaintances, but they are occupied with other arrangements." Sidney pointed out. "Though, some did leave their death day gifts for you here. Pandora, Frostbite, Dorathea, Amorpho, Wulf, and Clockwork want to give them to you themselves." Giving gifts to your friends on their death day was one of many odd ghost traditions. Danny felt the creeping feeling of disappoint due to the lack of his other friends, but he still had some of his friends here so that was what counted.

 

"So what sort of 'arrangements' are they occupied with?" Danny inquired, curiously. He knew for a fact none of them would miss his death day. He looked to his friends for an answer. Everyone suddenly stiffened and appeared nervous. No one spoke up or even moved until Sidney gathered the courage to say something. "The Box Ghost and Lunch Lady are busy preparing of their baby. While your other friends appear to have been called to an important meeting by the Ancients." Sidney explained. "Sadly, no one knows why they were summoned. The purpose of the meeting is very top secret." 

 

Dread filled him at the mention of his friends and the Ancients being together in the same room. The Ancients were extremely powerful and well ancient ghosts. Clockwork was technically one of the Ancients. He was the only Ancient that didn't scare the remaining life out of Danny. A lot of the other Ancients weren't exactly known for their friendliness or tolerance of humans. 

 

"What do you think of the party, Whelp?" Skulker asked, poorly attempting to lighten the mood. The hunter ghost still referred to Danny as Whelp despite his objection. "I originally wanted to take you hunting but Ember thought a party would be a good change of pace." It was nice of them to throw him a party, even if the glitter would haunt him worse than any ghost he has ever faced. Well maybe not his evil future self. The dastard was far more diabolical then glitter could ever hope to be. 

 

"It is nice, Skulker. Thanks. You guys didn't really need to throw me a party." Danny said, gratefully. Suddenly, Ember slapped the back of Danny's head. "Of course we had to throw you a party." Ember stated, while Danny gently rubbed the spot she whacked. "Now enjoy it." Even though the last part sounded menacing, Danny knew Ember meant it with the best intentions. 

 

"Calm down Ember. The kid already said he likes the party." Johnny said, still holding on to his laid back demeanor. "Hey kid, how about we just skip to the part where you open our gifts. Kitty and I have a date tonight." It was not a very surprising confession from Johnny. The two ghosts had finally got married two months ago. Danny still held a tiny grudge against Johnny for picking Shadow to be his best ghost. 

 

"Okay. We can do that as long as no one else has any objections." Danny replied, secretly praying someone would. "Does anyone have any objections?" He scanned the occupants of the room who all shook their head, leaving Danny a tad disappointed. They all most likely had other things they wanted to do with their significant other. Did Sidney even have something to do or someone to be with? If given the choice Danny would probably decide to be with his lover as well. Sadly, he did not truly have one. There was a time he would say Sam was his girlfriend but now he didn't believe she ever was. She might have just dated him out of guilt or pity.

 

At least the faster the party ended the sooner he could return to the mansion and play with Spooky. She was most likely bored out of her mind with nothing in the cage to keep her entertained. "Since you're opening the presents now, you should open the gifts Johnny and I got you." Kitty proclaimed. Before Danny had a chance to reply Ember interrupted him. "Babypop can decide whose gift to open first himself." Ember calmly countered. 

 

Kitty immediately appeared offended and itching to fight. Ember on the other hand remained composed, which only aggravated Kitty more. Danny turned his attention from the two girls to their boyfriends. Both Johnny and Skulker looked clueless as to how to stop a brawl from breaking out. He felt sorry for the two ghosts. They had to deal with this kind of behavior on a daily basis. Danny took pity on them and figured out a way that should make both Ember and Kitty happy. 

 

"How about you all show me your gifts at the same time?" Danny nervously questioned, not wanting to incur the wrath of the two female ghosts. The two broke out of what appeared to be an intense staring contest to glare at Danny, leading him to raise his hands in a sign of defeat. "But that takes all the fun out of opening presents." Kitty whined. In a way she was right. It did take way from the present opening experience, but he could care less about the gifts. Danny just wanted his friends to be happy... And not fighting about whose gift he should open first. "Yeah!" Ember agreed. 

 

It seemed as though the two female specters wouldn't allow him to get out of this the easy way. "I'll open Sidney's gift first." Danny decided. Sidney was clearly excited to show Danny what he got him. Kitty crossed her arms and pouted, but did not say anything in retaliation. On the other hand, Ember looked pleased. A slight look of surprise flashed across Skulker's mechanical face.

 

Meanwhile, Johnny was consoling his clingy wife. Danny almost shuttered at the thought of Kitty's clingy nature. She was a good friend, but an awful significant other. Sometimes Kitty joked that if she and Johnny ever had a falling out she would date Danny again. In the event that ever happened Danny would move far, far, far away. Maybe to space. 

 

Sidney pulled a small rectangular box, coated in green wrapping paper with a tiny black bow on top, out of thin air. Danny was still baffled by the fact ghosts managed to do this all the time. He had yet to master that unique skill. Pulling a pen or pencil out of nowhere was the best he could do. When Sidney handed him the box Danny began to unwrap it. 

 

After shedding the box of its decorations only a plain black box remained. He slowly rid the box of its lid to find a pair of black sports sunglasses with neon green lenses. "Cool. These will go great with my outfit." Danny spoke, grateful he didn't get a pocket protector. Since he had no pockets he wanted to put one in. "Thanks, Sidney. I love them." He placed them back in their box before hiding them with his domino mask. Danny had a feeling the glasses would come in handy later. Whether it was soon or farther away in the future, only Clockwork could tell. 

 

"Those aren't just any sunglasses, they are enchanted sunglasses. The enchantment allows you to hide in plain sight, but it can be seen through by those with exceptional perception." Sidney stated. So the glasses wouldn't just make him look cool, they would hide him from the ignorant and unperceptive. "So don't run around any detectives, got it." Danny joked, doubting he would ever run into any detectives. The people of the living realm were so clueless they couldn't catch a hint if it was right in front of them. "Technically one does not need to be a detective to have extraordinary perception." Sidney retorted. 

 

"Open mine next." Kitty chanted, excitedly. Before Danny could speak she shoved a small, unwrapped, box in his face. Ember rolled her eyes, the action went unnoticed by Kitty. He took a step back, attempting to put some space between the box and his face. His hand carefully grabbed the box. It was light. What could she have possible gotten him? Danny curiously opened the box and was greeted with the sight of an ice blue ring. No design adorned the ring. He prodded the ring only to discover it was as cold as ice. "It's an ice ring. Thought it would be a good gift since you have trouble keeping cool in the summer." Kitty cheerfully explained. It was a great gift. Summer was the worst time of year for Danny. The heat made him moody and hurt his ice core. 

 

"Thanks, Kitty. It will definitely solve some problems I have been having." Danny said, his death day gloom still present. He managed to give Kitty a small smile that promptly disappeared. Danny slipped the ring on to his index finger. A cool feeling spread across him body. _"Well, now I don't need to worry about hot weather. I feel like I could walk through a desert and still be cold."_ Danny thought. 

 

"I guess you should open my gift next." Ember stated. Weren't they supposed to let him choose whose gift to open? Danny was not complaining though. Now he didn't need to choose between his friends and risk hurting someone's feeling. "I hope you don't mind I didn't wrap it." Ember said, clearly not sorry about forgoing the wrapping paper. She then blinked out of existence before flickering back with an electric guitar in one hand. The guitar was black with neon green strings, and a neon green strap. Its appearance that of a Fender Stratocaster. 

 

"Wow." Danny whispered, taking it from the rock star ghost and holding it in both hands. He had learned a thing or two about playing the guitar from Ember. Though Danny had never thought about getting his own guitar. But he had to be good if Ember herself felt he needed one. After all, she loathed terrible music... And musicians. Danny internally grimaced. That poor drummer never stood a chance. _"If I ever practice I should make sure Ember is not around to hear it."_ Danny mentally noted. The last thing he wanted was for her to listen to a bad performance. Or else he might join that drummer.

 

"You like it?" Ember inquired. Danny did not just like it, he loved it. He blamed Ember for his love of the instrument. Her love of the musical art must have rubbed off on him. "It's great. Thanks." Danny happily replied, slinging the electric guitar over his right shoulder. He was excited to play it when he got back to Vlad's. _"I wonder if I could teach Spooky to sing."_ Danny pondered. It would certainly make for an interesting band. The ghost boy and his singing owl... No. That was too weird even by his standards. "Glad you like it." Ember said, Skulker walking up beside her. 

 

"Here, Whelp." Skulker stated as he shoved a bowie knife into Danny's chest. He awkwardly took the object from the hunter. The sheath was crafted out of a rough black leather. Danny carefully pulled the knife free. A white handle, probable made out of some creature's horn, attached to a toxic green Damascus blade. "Thanks, Skulker. It's nice." Danny said. Honestly, he should have seen that coming. Another knife to add to his collection. Skulker gave Danny every single one he had amassed over the past months. Pocket knives, throwing knives, kitchen knives, butter knives, and etc. If it was sharp and pointy there was a high chance he had one in his knife room. 

 

All that was left was to see Johnny's gift. Then he would go since his 'friends' had better things to do. Maybe Vlad would be back from whatever it was he needed to take care of. "You saved the best for last, Kid." Johnny stated, confidence rolling off him. Some of the other occupants in the room glared at him. "Follow me." The dirty looks he received failed to ruin his confidence. Every filed out of the ominous house. 

 

Outside was an object hidden by a blue tarp, Johnny positioned to its right. "I made this beauty with my ectoplasm, sweat, and tears. I spent so much on working on her Kitty got jealous. I hope you like it." With that said Johnny grabbed that tarp with both hands and dramatically revealed the hidden item. Everyone gawked at the machine before them, noticeably disappointed their gifts had been out done. "This beauty is one hundred percent the best motorcycle you will ever lay eyes on. I call her the Speed Spirit, has more than enough horsepower to back it up too." Johnny boasted, crossing his arms as a smug look settled on his face. "What do you think?" 

 

Left speechless, Danny could only gape in wonder at the vehicle. It was perfect. He doubted he would ever find a motorcycle he loved as much as the one in front of him. The motorcycle was breathtaking, style reminiscent of a Honda CBR600RR. Black fairings coated the body of the vehicle, neon green rims and a matching seat added a splash of color to the pitch black motorcycle. Danny had considered getting one after he rode Johnny's motorcycle months ago during the whole Guys In White trying to destroy the Ghost Zone debacle. It had felt as amazing as flying. 

 

"Hey Kid, I get she's amazing but you might want to close your mouth." Johnny spoke, clearly amused. Danny's mouth snapped shut with an audible click, leaving him staring at the motorcycle. He honestly had no idea what to say. He was grateful Johnny put so much effort into his death day gift. How on earth was he going to get Johnny a death day gift that topped this? 

 

"I love it! Thank you, Johnny! It is perfect. I couldn't ask for anything better." Danny said. A genuine smile settling on his face, one of the largest he had cracked all day. He had no idea how he would get it back to Vlad's. Especially since he had so many other things to carry back. "It's more than just a mode of transportation too. Technus gave me a little help on the more high tech aspects." Johnny admitted. "Though it defiantly looks like you could use one of those features right now." Then Johnny pressed a button on one of the handles transforming it into a small compact cube. "Here ya go." He said, handing Danny the black box. Danny was even more impressed with the machine, now all he need was an instruction manual. Since there was a distinct lack of one he concluded he had a lot of testing ahead of him. Danny slipped it into another secret pocket. Not wanting to risk squishing his mask or sunglasses. 

 

"Well it looks like I've opened everyone's gifts now. Another strange ghost traditions I need to participate in?" Danny said, disappointment creeping into his voice. Everyone shook their head 'no'. He really wanted to spend more time with his friends. Sadly, the feeling didn't seem to be mutual. He tried and failed to not take it personal. Danny knew ghosts were not great friends. Most preferred staying solitary for the rest of their afterlife. Their decision still hurt. 

 

"I guess I should get going. Vlad is probably worried about me by now." Danny said. He hoped his friends would stop him. "What about your other gifts?" Johnny questioned. Oh, right. Danny had completely forgotten about them. "I figured I would just take them back to Vlad's and open them there." Danny answered. It wasn't a complete lie. He would open them when he got back. 

 

Ember vanished inside and returned with a stack of unopened presents. When she got close enough to Danny she promptly shoved them into his unsuspecting arms. The gifts sat awkwardly in his arm. Afterwards, his friends told him their goodbyes. 

 

"Be safe, Dipstick." Ember said, thoughtfully. 

 

"We should go on a hunting trip next time. I can show you how to properly use that knife too." Skulker stated, the armored blob was not very skilled at saying goodbye. But he always tried his best.

 

"See ya later, Kid." Johnny spoke in his usual calm demeanor. 

 

"Farewell, Phantom." Sidney said, immediately vanishing to somewhere. It stung that nerdy ghost didn't stick around. Danny convinced himself the ghost had somewhere important to be.

 

"Bye, Danny." Kitty said, scooping Danny into a suffocating hug. Okay, maybe she was a somewhat clingy friend too. Thankfully it was not as bad as it was when he dated her. That level of clinginess had no words to describe it. It was that bad. He gently pushed her away in the most un-offensive way possible. She seemed to get the hint and backed up. Thus giving Danny some glorious personal space. 

 

He hesitantly turned to leave, looking back once to see the ghosts had already made themselves scarce. They didn't wait for him to say goodbye. "Of course... What was I expecting?" Danny muttered, turning back to his destination. He followed the path back to where he originally landed on the jungle island. He wasn't looking forward to the slow trip back to the mansion. Danny bid an unheard farewell to his friends before carefully taking off into the Ghost Zone, heading in the direction of Vlad's portal.

 


	3. The Phantom Of Amity Park - Part Three

By the time Danny arrived at Vlad’s the sun was low in the sky. Sky blue fading into pink, orange, and a hint of purple. When Danny stepped through the portal, the green of the Ghost Zone was replaced by the greys of Vlad’s laboratory. Spooky immediately shrieked at Danny causing him to jump in fright. She was really living up to her name. During the scare he inadvertently transformed back into his human self. The owl crying in protest when she was blinded by the rings of white light that traveled down Danny’s body.

 

Now the spooked halfa was clothed in his black T-shirt with a blue circle in the middle.  It was a simple design and very similar to his old shirt. Blue jeans replace the odd Kevlar ones his ghost form wore, and black sneakers covered his feet instead of combat boots. The unopened gifts he had been carefully carrying flew out of his arms and hit the lab floor with a loud thud. Strangely, all the other presents he got vanished with his ghost form. _“I hope none of that is fragile…”_ Danny thought. He gazed disapprovingly at the black owl, who was now wildly flapping her wings.

 

“Spooky, don’t do that! You almost startled the afterlife out of me.” Danny chided, his voice laced with disapproval. She halted her flailing to shriek once more at Danny. Maybe Spooky was hungry. Or her eyes hurt for his transformation. He had been gone for quite a while so he imagined it was the former option. Danny scoured the lab for whatever Vlad had been feeding her. After a few minutes he found what he was looking for.

 

“Here it is.” Danny said to no one in particular. A cage of mice sat on the bottom shelf in one of the cabinets. Five grey field mice were scurrying around inside. He felt sorry for Spooky’s dinner. Danny opened the cage and gentle pulled out a plump grey mouse. “Sorry, but Spooky needs to eat…” Danny sorrowfully told the mouse, knowing it probably did not understand him. Then he snapped shut the cage door shut. An audible click echoing throughout the lab. The sound reminding Danny of the fate he was condemning the mouse to.

 

He reluctantly walked over to Spooky. She was excitedly hooting at the prospect of food. Danny opened the door, careful to not let Spooky escape. He gentle dropped the mouse in her cage before closing the cage door. The owl immediately swooped down, swiftly catching the mouse in her talons. The talons dug into the sides of the unfortunate mouse causing blood to flow out of the wounds. The smell of blood strangely didn’t bother him… It almost smelled good. For the love of the Ancients, what was wrong with him?!

 

Danny watched as Spooky swallowed the mouse whole, horrified at his previous thoughts. Was something wrong with him? Had he caught a strange ghost illness? Yeah, that had to be it… Why else would he find the scent of blood appealing? He looked around desperate to distract himself from what just happened.    

 

He turned his attention back to the gifts scattered across the tile floor. Hopefully nothing was damaged. Danny slowly gathered the presents, stacking them onto an empty metal table _“Might as well open them now.”_ Danny thought, prepared to find a broken object. He picked a small box off the top of the pile. Dark blue wrapping paper covered the box. It had a tiny box glued on top in a similar way that someone would put a bow on a gift. _“The Box Ghost… Even without a label it has his name written all over it.”_ Danny thought. _“That means it’s probably from the Lunch Lady as well.”_

 

If the Lunch Lady did help Boxie pick out his death day present than his chance of getting bubble wrap was decreased to fifty percent. Sadly, the chance he got some kind of meat was also increased to fifty percent. Danny shed the box of its papery coating. Underneath lied a plain grey box. He lifted the lid off only to find… another box. It was wrapped too. “A box in a box… Very original _.”_ Danny said, slightly annoyed by extra box that he now needed to unwrap. “How many boxes are you hiding?” The inanimate box didn’t reply to his question. It just sat upon the table.

 

“I’ll make you talk eventually.” Danny said in a deep voice, pretending to interrogate the innocent box. After quickly deciding he didn’t want to stand there all night he ripped the wrapping paper off the box. Danny could always question some boxes later. As well as his sanity. Thankfully the box didn’t contain another wrapped cardboard box. A black bento box was inside. Why a bento box? Danny honestly had no idea. Maybe because it combined the two things the odd ghosts love. He was just happy there wasn’t another cardboard box, or bubble wrap.    

 

Danny pulled it out of its cardboard prison and put it aside. A square box, smaller than the last, stood on top of a long rectangular box. They shared the same wrapping paper as the gift from the Box Ghost and Lunch Lady. _“Guess they really love this wrapping paper. Maybe I should get them some more.”_ Danny thought. He grabbed the square box and peeled away its colorful paper cover. After removing the square lid from the top he saw a… PDA?  

 

It was flat. The ‘PDA’ was at least half a centimeter thick, two and a half inches wide, and five and a half inches long. The cover on the back was pitch black. What kind of PDA was this? Danny had never seen anything like it. He could only assume this was Technus’ latest creation.

 

Danny curiously fiddled with the device. There were two buttons, one on each side of the phone. _“Wonder what it does._ ” Danny thought as he held one of the buttons down. Suddenly the screen lit up and a loud noise, similar to what computer sounded like when you turned it on, blared out of the ‘PDA’. “What the fuck!” Danny cursed, having been sufficiently jump scared. He leapt at the unexpected sound and dropped the noisy object. Danny lunged at the ‘PDA’ and just barely managed to catch it before it meet the tile floor.

 

“Why the hell did Technus make this so loud?!” Danny hissed, deciding that he was done messing with the object for now. His ears had suffered enough to day. Based on Spooky’s unhappy shriek, she didn’t appreciate the loud object either.  He scowled at the ‘PDA’ as he placed the cursed thing next to the lunch box. Only the large rectangular box remained unopened. Danny prayed the gift would not assault his ears too.

 

Once he rid the box of its wrapping paper and lid he found a sword. It was most likely his gift from Fright Knight. The sword was a simple medieval short sword, fully green like the knight’s personal sword of terror. It had the same odd green glow as the Soul Shredder. Hopefully it wasn’t as terrifying as the Soul Shredder. The last thing Danny needed was a sword that makes people live through their worst nightmare.

 

He and Fright Knight hadn’t always been friends, they were actually still enemies after the disasteroid incident. But as soon as the spirit of Halloween learned Danny was training as a knight at Princess Dorathea’s castle he wanted to teach Danny the true way of the knight. After a few sword lessons and sparing matches they became pretty good friends. They even joked about the Halloween Danny stole his sword. Fright Knight would never let him live it down.

 

So Danny decided he would never let Fright Knight live down saying ‘flaming bed sheets of death’. To this day, Danny had yet to not remind him of the odd attack. Once he got some of Dora’s knights to hang up some flaming sheets when Fright Knight visited. The Halloween spirit was livid, but it was worth the initial look on his face.  

 

Danny covered the mysterious sword back up, noting that he should ask Fright Knight about what it does before messing with it. Now that he was no longer distracted Spooky took the opportunity to make her presence known. Danny shifted towards the softly hooting owl. She was done eating and obviously wanted to stretch her wings. He sauntered over and opened her cage door. Spooky preceded to fly out of the cage before contently perching on his shoulder.

 

Apparently she did not want to stretch her wings, she wanted to ride on his shoulder. “I guess I should have expected Vlad to pick a lazy owl.” Danny said, Spooky hooted in protest at the comment. He sauntered to the table to gather the gifts, leaving the boxes and discarded wrapping paper behind. Danny decided he would deal with it tomorrow. He knew if Vlad saw it that he wouldn’t mind too much.  

 

Danny began the journey to his room. The usual combination of gold and green littered the long, winding halls. Once he reached his room he notice his door was open, not that he minded. It made getting in to his room with an owl on his shoulder and gifts in his arms so much easier. Though he could have fazed through the door if it was closed. Danny noted that there was a now a wooded perch in his room for Spooky. Vlad must have left it there before going off to Ancients knows where. Danny placed the gifts on the end of his bed when something on his nightstand caught his attention.

 

On the wooden nightstand laid a piece of white note book paper. It definitely was not there earlier that day. Danny made his way over to the mysterious note. He gently placed Spooky on his bed before grabbing the paper. _“Oh, it’s from Vlad.”_ Danny thought, examining the handwriting. Of course his note was in the form of a letter. The man was practically incapable of writing, or doing, anything informal. Danny began reading the letter in his best Vlad impression.

 

“Dear Daniel, I regret to inform you that I have urgent business to attend to out of town. I expect to be back by Tuesday.” So he would be back in roughly three days. At least Danny didn’t need to wait a month for Vlad to return. It would still be lonely without the fruit-loop. Maybe he should ‘haunt’ Skulker while Vlad was gone. No, he couldn’t do that to the hunter. The awkward blob was trying to spend more time with Ember.

 

“Do not forget to eat. There is plenty of food in the kitchen and there is money on the table in case you need anything.” Danny had no idea if he would eat anything while Vlad was gone. He barely got that yogurt down. It was a struggle to keep it down too.

 

“Please do not ditch your bodyguard when you go out. I know you can protect yourself, but he is there to keep you safe if any ghost hunters attack you.” It was so annoying having someone follow him everywhere he went. Vlad hated it when Danny snuck away from his bodyguard.  Danny never regretted it. Even if Vlad gave him the scolding of a life time for ditching the bodyguard.

 

“Happy death day. I hope you find a way to get some enjoyment out of today. Be safe. Best Wishes, Vlad Masters.” His ‘friends’ did brighten up his day a little. But not enough that he would do anything more than play with Spooky. He would probably sulk in bed like this morning afterwards. “What do you think, Spooky? Did I nail Vlad’s voice or what?” Danny asked, the question was more rhetorical than anything else. Spooky cocked her head slightly left in response. He knew his impression was spot on. Ghosts were masters of deception and mimicry. The skill made prank calls even more fun. The way people freaked out when they heard their own voice talking back to them was the best.

 

He opened the nightstands drawer and placed the note inside for safe keeping. Danny glanced at the clock. It was late, roughly twelve o’clock. Had he really spend that much it in the lab? He walked over to his closet, opening the door so he could fish out a pair of pajamas. Like his room, the closet was bare. There were a few articles of clothing here and there, but other than that nothing else resided in the space. _“Oh, right. I can put my gifts in here.”_ Danny thought, returning to the bed and gathering the items. He placed them on the floor underneath a couple of hanging shirts. Danny snagged his nightwear before closing the door and throwing the clothes on his bed.

     

He was about to change in to his pajamas when he remembered Spooky was in the room. “Sorry, Spooky.” Danny said, slightly embarrassed. “I will let you back in after I change.” He took the black owl’s perch, placing it outside his room before moving her there. Spooky didn’t seem too happy about the situation, but she sat quietly on the wooden perch.

 

When Danny got back in his room he quickly changed. He had no clue what Spooky would do if he left her alone for too long. Plus he didn’t want to risk her ruining any of Vlad’s decorations. Or fly out of a mysteriously open window. By the time he was ready to let Spooky in the room he was wearing a black pair of shorts with a matching under shirt. The shirt leaving his many scars visible. Being a ghost hunter and superhero was a hazardous job. He had gotten a lot less injures since he changed costumes.

 

Danny opened the door only to find Spooky siting right in front of him. She looked upset. He felt kind of bad for making her way outside. The pitch black owl took the opportunity to fly past him, gracefully landing on his nightstand. He rolled his eyes and returned the perch next to one of his windows. Spooky promptly flew away for the nightstand in favor of the perch.  While Spooky would be up for the night, Danny planned on getting some sleep.

 

Not that he required much sleep, but the day had been exhausting, physically and emotionally. “Good night, Spooky.” Danny said, softly scratching the owl’s head. Spooky returned the words with a soft hoot. At least Danny liked to think she was saying ‘good night’. He promptly flopped on to his bed, snuggling under the thin sheets, before falling into a dreamless slumber.   


	4. Interlude: Clockwork

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a chapter about Clockwork.

Clockwork was furious to say the least. He wanted nothing more than to tell the Observants to go to the Unworld and suffer there for all eternity. It wasn't just him who was summoned either. All the Ancients and some of his adoptive son's powerful acquaintances were called as well. Clockwork already had an idea as to why the annoying, one-eyed, green creatures dared to drag him away from his son, and on Daniel's death day no less.

 

He prayed nothing bad would happen to the boy while he was at the meeting. Daniel was one of the few ghosts whose future was cloudy and difficult to read. Vladimir, or Vlad as the halfa preferred to be called, was another one of those few. Clockwork never predicted the two halfas becoming so close, but he was happy young Daniel had someone else that could understand some of his struggles. He couldn't help but be disappointed at the path Jack and Madeline Fenton took.

 

Clockwork had desperately hoped they would accept Daniel like in some other timelines. They had such great potential to become loving, caring parents, but they threw away that chance the moment they harmed his son. When Clockwork found out he wanted to break his one rule and erase their bloodline from history. He wanted that more than anything, but he couldn't tear Jasmine away from Daniel. His son had already suffered enough loss in his life. Clockwork deeply cared about the boy's feeling and safety. Bringing harm to Jasmine was a good way to make his son hate him for all eternity. Clockwork could hardly imagine what his life would be like without Daniel, let alone what it would be like if his son loathed him.

 

The ghost of time was currently flouting through a large hall, inspired by Greek architecture, to an equally huge ornate wooden door. At the moment, he was in his adult form. While his appearance did have a tendency to shift, he could control which form he took on for a certain amount of time. He figured going to the meeting in his child form would make him appear less serious about the problem at hand. Though he would never admit it, he was afraid some of the Ancients would mock the form like they had in the past. Just as he was reaching for the ornamental door handle a figure slammed into his back and pulled him into a soul crushing hug.

 

"Clocky! It's nice to see you!" the mysterious ghost exclaimed, the ghost's voice was gruff and carried a happy tone. Clockwork cringed at the nickname. "Why don't you ever visit?!" Clockwork failed to repress a sigh. He knew this ghost, he knew him very well. His older brother, Gateway, the ghost of dimensional and universal travel. His brother was one of the few ghosts that could sneak up on him. It was likely a skill he perfected as an older brother. Like him, his brother was one of the Ancients. Clockwork was surprised his brother was even called to this meeting, and by the fact he actually showed up. His brother left many centuries ago to travel the multiverse and other parallel dimensions. He may or may not still be a little bitter about Gateway abruptly deciding to vanish on him.

 

Clockwork wished he could have predicted his brother's choice, but Gateway had always been strange and unpredictable. He could hardly remember the last time he saw Gateway, and that was saying a lot since he knew all that would, or would not, happen. "It has been far too long, Gateway." Clockwork sighed, still trapped in Gateway's unrelenting embrace. "Sorry I did not take the time to traverse dimensions and universes to visit you. In case you have forgotten, I am the master of time, not dimensional and universal travel." He winced at the bitterness that crept into his voice, his brother either ignored it or simply did not notice.

 

It wasn't that he was unhappy to see his brother again. He just wished he had had more time to sort out his emotions toward Gateway's disappearance and the fact he left a note that said 'Gone traveling, be back later', it was far past 'later'. Part of him wanted to demand his brother tell him where he has been all these year, the other half wanted nothing more than to hug his brother back. But he wasn't the young adult Gateway left behind anymore. He was an experienced ancient ghost, the master of time.

 

Gateway broke out in to a fit of laughter. "We-well I'd h-hope not. The-the last thing you n-need to do is st-steal another j-job." Gateway choked out in between his laughs. The ghost suddenly ceased his laughter and released his younger brother before spinning him around so they were facing each other, his demeanor becoming more serious. Seriousness had never been Gateway's strong suit but he looked more serious than Clockwork had ever seen. Gateway had changed significantly since Clockwork last saw him. His brother still managed to tower over him even after all these years, just like when they were young.

 

A large blue cloak that appeared as though it had captured a galaxy completely enveloped Gateway, hood obscuring his head, cloak billowing despite the lack of wind. His brother always did have a flare for the dramatics. Apparently that never changed over the centuries. The most drastic difference being the emotionless white mask covering his face, two round holes revealed Gateway's luminescent sky blue, pupil-less eyes. Gateway always hated masks after the… incident. Clockwork was shock by how much Gateway covered himself up. When he had last seen his brother he had been wearing a simple purple cloak that complemented his natural periwinkle purple skin, short spiky Alice blue hair free from any form of cover, no mask covering his chiseled face.

 

"Clockwork, you may be the master of time, but you are not getting any younger. We might be immortal to some extent but someone could kill us if they really tried with all their might." Gateway stated, his tone grim. Clockwork knew where this conversation was going and he did not like it. He opened his mouth to say something but Gateway cut him off before he could speak. "I know you do not want another apprentice after what happened last time. It wasn't a fun experience for either of us, but you need to take on an apprentice again. If you don't find one, I _will_ find the ghost of our father and get him to slap some sense into you. "

 

Clockwork knew his brother would not budge on the matter and would keep his threat. He had to find an apprentice even though he vowed to never train another Keeper of Time again. "You are not going to let this go, are you?" Clockwork whispered, looking anywhere than his brother. He silently pleaded Gateway would say 'yes' and he could forget about the whole conversation. He knew it would not be that simple. "I'm sorry, Clocky, but you know you should have taken a new apprentice a long time ago. If it bothers you that much, why don't you just make your son your new apprentice." Gateway said, his voice gentle and understanding.

 

Now that got Clockwork's attention. His over protective father mode activated, back straightening, shoulders stiffening, and his own luminescent red eyes meeting his brother's sky blue. How did Gateway learn about Daniel? His brother had been gone running around who knows where for years and he most certainly had not mentioned his son yet. "I don't believe I mentioned my son during any part of our conversation, how exactly did you come to learn of his existence?" Clockwork questioned, his voice slipping into the authoritative tone he used when working.

 

Based on his outward appearance no one could guess he was terrified about who else might have learned about his son. He did not like to share the knowledge he had a son for a good reason. The last thing Daniel needed was more ghosts targeting him. Publicly announcing he was the boy's father would paint a target even larger than the Ghost Zone on his back. The Guys In White would consider him an even greater threat than before and ghosts from all over the Ghost Zone would be after him.

 

"Just because I have been off gallivanting in other dimensions and universes doesn't mean I ever stopped worrying about my little brother. I always found a way to keep tabs on you." Gateway said, gently placing a hand on one of Clockwork's shoulders. Clockwork released a sigh of relief. Now that he had nothing to worry about his posture softened. Gateway only knew because he somehow managed to keep track of what was going on in his life. It was a little creepy, but good. That meant no one other than who he and Daniel trust knew about him adopting the boy.

 

"Besides, when did you actually plan on telling me about my new nephew? I did not expect you to get over the fact I left without a moment's notice and all of a sudden returned centuries later in one day. Even if you hate me now, I still want to be a part of your life and I am sorry for vanishing on you." Gateway said. His brother had just come back home, there was no way Clockwork was about to chase him away. Plus, Daniel could another positive role model in his life… Well, slightly positive. Gateway could be absolutely diabolical when he wanted to be. "Apology accepted." Clockwork said, a small smile tugging at his lips before disappearing.

 

"Oh, come on! You might need to keep up appearances for everyone else but you don't, and will never, need to do that with me." Gateway said, spreading his arms expectantly waiting for a hug. Clockwork stood silently, not twitching a single muscle. He was worried someone would see them. He had a reputation to keep up after all. Gateway seemed to notice his hesitation and added "Plus, I am your older brother. I already know your most embarrassing secrets. Now as your big brother I demand you give me a hug. Don't worry I won't tell anyone, it will be our little secret."

 

Clockwork knew he could never win with Gateway, so he gave up while he still had his dignity and hugged his absurdly tall brother. Gateway wasted no time dragging him into another soul crushing hug. Clockwork could imagine how scared Daniel would be with Gateway towering over him. His brother's apparel would not help him look less intimidating either. After a bit of struggling in his brother's tight hold he managed to break free. "Give it some thought, your son is strong, have some faith in him. He defeated Pariah Dark. I'm sure he can handle learning a few tricks from you." He had once consider teaching his son the art of time keeping, but after what happened last time he wasn't sure if he wanted to put Daniel in that kind of danger. He sent Gateway a dubious expression, his lips turned down and brow wrinkled.

 

"Don't give me that look. We both know you are not going to have apprentice that will take over your job one day. You are too much of a workaholic." It was true. If he did take an apprentice again he would not teach them enough for them to be able to take his place. "You are far older than I am, shouldn't you be look for an apprentice." Clockwork deadpanned.

 

"I just travel. It is not really a job that requires an apprentice to take over for me one day." Gateway countered, a playful tone making its way into his voice.

 

"Now let's get this over with. Those one-eyed freaks won't wait forever." Gateway groaned, clearly looking forward to the meeting just as much as Clockwork. Gateway pushed the door, it slowly opened with a loud creak. They both passed through the doorway into a large meeting room, a circular table surrounded by chairs of all shapes and sizes sat in the middle, a variety of different ghosts seated in the room.


	5. The Phantom Of Amity Park - Part Four

The moon hung high in the sky when a sudden chill forced Danny to awaken from his dreamless sleep. Of course it was in fact his ghost sense. The past few weeks had been pretty slow, perhaps it was the calm before storm. The first thing he noticed was how quiet Spooky was. If there was an intruder surely Spooky would be making all kinds of noise by now. Danny sleepily dragged himself into a sit position on his bed. He groggily scanned his room, everything seemed normal until he caught sight of a giant ghost towering his nightstand, the ghost could probably touch the ceiling if they wanted to.

 

The ghost was even taller than Clockwork, he never thought would ever see a ghost that could easily look down on the master of time. A blue sparkling cloak that reminded him of galaxy completely covered the ghost, Danny would have thought it was cool under normal circumstances. A blank white mask sat on their face, glowing sky blue eyes could be seen through the holes. It was not the creepiest ghost Danny has ever seen but the ghost was still pretty unsettling. Danny silently gazed, wide eyed, at the ghost as he, or she, left a box on his nightstand.

 

“You’ll know when to open it.” The gruff sounding ghost said before slowly fading away, leaving Danny alone in his room with only Spooky. He was wide wake and on high alert, there was no way he was going back to sleep now. “So much for getting a good night’s sleep.” Danny grumbled. Based on the ghost’s voice they were male. He did not sound like anyone Danny was familiar with either. Maybe he was a new enemy? Then why would he have left a box on Danny’s nightstand? Unless it was a trap.

 

Danny cautiously picked up the box, it was a small ornate wooden, at least five inches tall and four inches wide. The ghost mentioned he would know when to open it, was that time really now, or should wait until later. He slowly cracked open the lid, catching a glimpse of some kind of paper, before snapping the box shut. Danny really wasn’t in the mood for mysteries or entirely sure he wanted to open the box at the current moment in time. He threw the box in his nightstand’s drawer with Vlad’s note.  

 

Since he already decided he was not going back to bed he might as well hit the streets and kick some ass. It had been a few days since he last went out and took down criminals. He glanced at Spooky. She was sitting on her perch preening her feather. He could leave her alone for a couple of hour, right? The worst she could do was ripe up some furniture. It wasn’t like Danny could take her with him anyways. He didn’t need her trying to claw off someone’s face. Though training her to help him with his night job was not a bad idea.  

 

He hopped out of bed and transformed into his ghostly counterpart, Spooky hooted angrily at him for the abrupt display of blinding light. Instead of his pajamas he was now clothed in his costume, a black t-shirt, jean like pants, trench coat, and steel toed combat boots. The hood of his trench coat was down, revealing his snow white hair. He willed his hair back to his human form’s raven black, his ghost form’s white hair stood out too much at night. Danny reached into one of his coat’s pockets and pulled out the most important piece of the outfit, a black domino mask.

 

When he placed it on his face it stuck to him like glue. Usually a person would need some kind of adhesive to get it to stick, but he was a ghost. The clothes a ghost wore naturally stuck to their body and could not be removed unless they wanted to take it off. Someone would have a better chance of ripping off his face before his mask. With his new costume he even chose a new moniker.

 

In the field he no long went by the famous name ‘Danny Phantom’. After everything that happened he created a new hero persona. Danny kept true to his eerie origins and called his new persona Grave-Keeper, or simply Grave. He was well aware of how much it sounded like a super villain name, Danny made the mistake of letting Vlad help him pick. His other options had been Gravestone and Graveyard, so either way his new moniker would be equally as ominous and evil sounding.

 

Danny considered going by just Phantom but it didn’t feel right. Phantom was his ghost name, like how Vlad’s ghost name was Plasmius. He wanted a real secret identity not a half-assed one. To him the moniker, Grave-Keeper, was a job title. Danny was surprised when he learned how many ghosts went by a title instead of their real name. For example, Clockwork was not the time controlling ghost’s name, it was his title. Danny would ask him what his real name is but it was considered highly rude in ghost culture.  He asked Clockwork how he acquired the title but the master of time skillfully avoided answering the question. It appeared to be a sore topic for Clockwork so he left it alone.  

 

An interesting thing about ghosts was that they hate being called anything other than the name they tell people to call them. Danny discovered his past name calling only made his opponents more aggressive, it was a mistake on his part for not being well informed on ghost culture. After he discovered how unintentional rude he had been to some of his ghost ‘friends’ he made sure to apologize. Needless to say, they forgave him. It also helped him understand why the name ‘Invis-o-Bill’ provoked him so much. Danny might be a half ghost but being referred to by an incorrect name aggravated him just as much as any other ghost.    

 

One of the first things he did was make sure everyone knew his moniker, lest they incur his ghostly wrath by calling him something ridiculous. The last thing he needed was a hero name equally as bad as ‘Invis-o-Bill’. They would probably call him ‘Shawn-dow’, a terrible mix of the name Shawn and the word shadow, because his new persona hid in the shadows and only appeared under the cover of the night. Part of the reason Danny only went out at night was because he was tired of not have a life, and because he wanted to be more discreet. When he was ‘Danny Phantom’ he was always on duty, whether it was day or night, which was why ‘Danny Phantom’ is retired.

 

After his secret was revealed his work increased tenfold, every day he was running on fumes. So he decided to retire ‘Danny Phantom’. The retirement was publicly announced thanks to Vlad, a lot of people were less than excited about his decision. A couple weeks later he hit the streets as Grave-Keeper in some random town far away from Amity Park so he wouldn’t draw attention to himself. Grave-Keeper did not just fight ghosts, he took care of human criminals as well, which was something he could never do as ‘Danny Phantom’.  Danny did not used his ghost powers when fighting a human, he did not want to accidentally severely injure them. Making puns, quips, and bantering with his foes was a thing of the past. It was a too ‘Danny Phantom’ thing to do when fighting, though that never stopped him from making the occasional remark.

 

Believe it or not the costume change and mask were enough to make people think he was a completely different person. Danny had expected they would but it was still shocking how stupid people are. It was unbelievably strange to him that ghosts were more intelligent than humans. One thing he did not predict was his human ‘friends’ not recognizing him. He was honestly starting to believe if they had not witnessed his accident they would have never known him and Phantom were the same person.

 

“I’ll be back later, Spooky. Don’t cause too much trouble.” Danny said as he walked over to his window. If he could not faze through the window he would have dramatically swung it open and vanish into the night. Sadly, opening the window would give Spooky a chance to escape. And he did not want to spend his night chasing after her. He settled for walking to the opposite side of the room before dashing to the window and jumping through it. His black clothes aiding his disappearance into the cloudy night. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It actually took me quite a while to come up with the name 'Shawn-dow'.


	6. The Phantom Of Amity Park - Part Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warning: This chapter contains some elements that might make certain people uncomfortable, like cannibalism, gore, and etc. If that bothers you then I suggest you either stop reading this story or skip this chapter. This story is rated mature for a reason.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who has been reading this story and leaving comments. You guys are awesome. I'll try to have the next chapter out soon.

The night was just the way Danny liked it. Cold and dark. Dark storm clouds on the horizon threatened to pelt the town with rain. Oak trees rustled in the chilly zephyr sweeping across the park he stopped at. Danny didn’t travel out of Wisconsin, he did not have the energy to travel too far away from the mansion since his sleep was cut short. Somewhere along his journey he stopped at some town called Appleton. During his travels he raised his coat’s hood over his head, effectively hiding his masked face and messy raven locks. He was resting in the grass by the uncreatively named ‘Fox River’ at the edge of the more interestingly named ‘Telulah Park’. Watching the water flow by and enjoying the cool cloudy night.

 

So far he had yet to run across any criminals. No bank robbers, jewelry thieves, or murderers had made themselves known. Not even the simple purse snatcher had made an appearance. His next stop was Riverside Cemetery to see if he could find any malicious spirits, but he was in no rush. The night air was crisp, pleasant to ghost with an ice core like himself, it would be a waste to not treasure it while it lasted.

 

The science of ghost cores still confused him. No one really knew what powers the core provided, it seemed to very depending on the ghost’s personality and obsession. Every ghost also had one or more sub cores which allowed them to use the abilities of other core types. It is complicated… Every core has a type; defense, healing, and offense. Danny wasn’t sure which one type he was. He asked Frostbite about it but the snow yeti was unable to pinpoint which one his core was, something about his core being too unnatural from the normal standards. From what he understood there are nine different core traits; fire, electric, water, ice, earth, plant, light, dark, and the very rare nameless trait. All of the Ancients have a nameless core so it was more commonly known as the archaic core.

 

His lack of sleep was starting to get to him, a long yawn escaped him. Falling asleep in some random park was not on his to do list. Getting up and moving around would hopefully help him fight away his need to sleep. Danny pulled himself off the cool ground, using his hands to brush off the pesky blades of grass that stuck to his clothes. The next stop on the vigilante express was one of the town’s cemeteries. There had to be a ghost or specter of some kind that was causing trouble. Maybe he would find a grave robber or two while he was there.

 

He sauntered over to the river’s edge before walking over to the opposite side. With each step he crafted a layer of ice underneath where he was placing his foot. Thus giving him the appearance of someone walking on water.  Icy blue glowing eyes, appearing whenever he uses his ice powers, hidden by the white lenses of his mask. He figure out how to change between him hair colors but he had yet to figure out how to keep his eyes from glowing. Danny hoped no one would see him and decide to start a holy war. He had caused plenty of things in the past, Fright Knight’s return, his future self’s attack, and many other incidents. He did not want a holy war to be one of them.

 

The cemetery looked just like what someone would expect it to. Grave lined up in rows, colorful flowers failing to brighten up the area, and a tall metal fence surrounding the place. The spikes made it look less than fun to climb. Unless you want to risk being cut or stabbed by them. Danny briefly pondered taking his chances with the fence but decided against it. With his luck the trench coat he was wearing would get caught on it. He used his ghost abilities to faze straight through the fence.

 

Danny wandered aimlessly around the cemetery. So far the only interesting thing he had seen was a new ghost struggling to fly. Their arms were flailing as they drifted into the night sky. He managed to get the panicking ghost back to the ground, where they then clung to the grassy dirt for dear life. The chapel in the area was small. It was a simple stone brick building with a green metal roof. A rectangular tower was situated in the middle of the structure. The front of the chapel had a small semi-circle garden decorated by box shrubs and various flowers. Black letters stuck to the front read ‘Riverside Cemetery’.  

 

_“Nothing’s happening tonight… Well, I guess I should be happy no one’s causing trouble or anything.”_ He was disappointed to find absolutely nothing. No criminal or supernatural activity seemed to be going on tonight. Just as he turned around, prepared to go home and get more sleep, a wisp of blue air exited his mouth. Before he could recognize it as his ghost sense he was struck in the back, causing him to stumble a few step forward. A sharp pain from the impact made his wince. Lightning flashed in the sky. He whipped around to see a cloaked figure standing atop the chapel’s tower, illuminated by the flash of lightning. They donned a black cloak, helping them blend into the shadows, they were at least a foot taller than Danny. Their cloak shrouded them entirely.  Making it impossible to make out any distinguishing features.

 

As the lightning faded the figure summoned a blazing green fire ball in their out stretched hand. _“I spoke too soon._ ” Danny thought, creating a plan of attack. The mysterious ghost was using fire so they likely had a fire core. Danny hated fighting ghosts with that core trait, his ice core was weak against it. Another fire ball was sent hurling towards him. He swiftly rolled out of the way, landing low to the ground in a crouch. It whizzed by his head with a whoosh. The fire singed the grass where he had been standing.

 

Danny kept dodging as the ghost relentlessly threw more fire balls his way. The ghost was giving him no openings for any form of attack. He needed some way to create one. Lightning struck a tree nearby, startling the fire flinging spirit. Danny took advantage of the brief opening and shot a well-aimed ghost ray at his foe’s shoulder mid roll. It was a direct hit. His attacker yelped and clutched their injury. Green ectoplasm seeped out the wound and dripped down their hand. The specter still had the high ground, something he had to fix.

 

Before they could recover from the blast he teleported behind them and punched as hard as he could. Using his ecto-energy to increase the power behind it. Normally he wouldn’t be so brutal but he was at major disadvantage against this ghost. As for the teleportation, it was an ability Danny was still trying to master. So far he could only travel short distances. He could not use it too much in a fight either. He could teleport four times without exhausting himself. It didn’t help that he barely got two hours’ worth of sleep. Limiting the amount of times he could teleport to two.

 

The momentum of the strike pushed the shocked spirit over the edge of the building. They quickly recovered. Flying the rest of the way to the ground. Once again Danny teleported behind them, knowing fully well he would not be able to teleport again, prepared to attack only to be hit right in the stomach with a fire ball. The wound on his stomach burned. It felt like his skin was on fire. A hole caused by the point blank blast revealed the blistering anger burn. His costume held up well against humans but ghosts were a different story. Especially if it took a hit from an ectoplasm attack so close to its source. He really needs to work on ghost proofing his clothes. “That trick will not work twice.” the ghost growled, summoning a circle of fire around them.

 

The shear amount of heat the flames emanated was making him sweaty and irritated. The blistering heat agitated his already aching wounds. Not even the cold air of the night could cool him down now. He cursed the fact he thought it would be an _‘oh so great’_ idea to leave the ice ring Kitty gave him at Vlad’s mansion. It would have come in handy right about now. Any ice he attempted to make melted almost instantly, leaving him with no way to fight off the heat.

 

A fiery punch smacked straight into his face, knocking him back slightly. Gritting his teeth at the searing pain of a burn forming on his face, he returned the attack with his own pitifully weak icy punch. Hissing in pain when his fist made contact with the ghost’s chest. Danny quickly retracted his hand, briefly catching sight of a second degree burn, backing away the ghost as much as he could without getting too close to the flames.  Why did fighting fire ghosts have to be such a pain in the ass!? If Vlad was still in Wisconsin he would have jumped in the middle of the altercation by now. This was without a doubt a time Danny would give anything to see the over protective fruit-loop appear out of nowhere. Even Clockwork’s presence would be greatly appreciated.

 

Times like this were why superheroes have back up. Sadly, Grave-Keeper had no alias to give him a hand in a fight. Tucker and Sam were out of the question. At this point he was being to feel like they were dead to him. But he wanted to give them a chance to redeem themselves. After all he has known them since he was a kid. They were his childhood friends.   

 

The scent of rain hung in the air, thunder roared from the sky above as the large cumulonimbus clouds quickly approached the town. There was going to be a down pour soon. Luck for Danny this was exactly what he need to turn this battle around. The rain would slow the fire ghost down and give Danny a higher chance of winning since his ice core was complemented by water. The ghost frantically looked around when another roar of thunder penetrated the air. They clearly had not predicted any rain would fall during their fight and was looking for an escape route. Water was deadly for ghosts with a fire core, just like how fire was deadly for a ghost with an ice core like himself.

 

Fat drops of water began to fall from the sky. Just as the cloaked ghost took off as fast as they could, Danny used his ice powers to create an ice wall, strengthening it with the moisture in the air. The ghost froze in their tracks, seeing their exit had been cut off, causing them to flee in the exact direction Danny wanted them to. He planned on herding the fire ghost to the river south of their location. The water from the river and the added water from the rain would be all he needed to win the battle. 

 

Danny chased after the fire spirit on foot, continuing to form ice walls when they deviated away from where he was leading them. When they broke through some bushed the specter spotted of the river. The fire ghost attempted to create a wall of fire between them and Danny so they could escape only to have the heavy rain snuff it out. They flinched when an ice wall appeared on each side of them. Now Danny had them cornered. All he had to do was trap them in the thermos. He redesigned the Fenton thermos to be sleeker and easier to conceal. It color scheme mainly consisted of neon green and charcoal grey.

 

In an act of desperation the ghost flung a ball of green flames at him, effectively knocking him back two feet. The attack hit him straight in the chest where his heart - his core - was. It burned. Danny felt his body temperature decrease as a blinding rage over took him. That ghost had no idea what they had just done. All his rational was throw out the door, he as angry and not the normal kind of angry, he was livid. Pissing him off would be the very _last_ thing this ghost ever did. No self-respecting ghost dared to attack another ghost’s core, lest they enrage their foe.

 

A long forgotten hunger clawed at his stomach causing a pain he had not felt in soon long. He was no longer fighting. He was hunting. And his opponent was now his prey. Lightning crashed above them, lighting up the dark cloudy sky as rain pelted the ground below with more ferocity than before. A feral growl rose from Danny’s throat, his lips pulled back as he bared unnaturally sharp teeth, his prey backing away in terror. The nails on his hands slowly blackening, elongating as they magically changed color. He chucked the thermos to the side. There was _no way_ in hell that he was going to let _his prey_ run away.

 

“N-n-no! Y-you’re o-one of th-those cannibals!” His prey shouted fearfully, attempting to scramble away from Danny but was forced to stop at the river’s edge. “This wasn’t in the job description!” Danny crept forward, successfully dodging a sloppy punch from his cornered prey. He wasn’t thinking straight, then again, no ghost that just had most sacred part of their being attacked would.

 

“P-please! No, I-I was h-hired. I-I’m sorry!” the ghost desperately pleaded, as Danny stalked toward them.

 

He lunged at his prey, knocking them both to the ground, using his arms and legs to pin his prey against the river’s edge. If the ghost even tried to escape they would end up in the river. Where they would most likely die if they fell in. All that was going through Danny’s head were thoughts on how to end his agonizing hunger. His deadly sharp fangs sank into his prey’s neck as they unleashed a blood curdling scream. He held his teeth firmly in place as they thrashed and attempted to pry him off.

 

Danny patiently waited for the shrieks of pain and desperate cries for help to cease. Eventually, his prey stopped their futile struggle and went limp below him, a puddle of ectoplasm formed on the ground. A final choked sob could be heard as the life drained from the ghost. After Danny was certain the ghost was deceased he preceded to rip out its throat, swallowing the hunk of ghostly flesh in one bite. Ectoplasm gushed out of the wound, spraying all over his clothes and face.

 

The ghost’s chest in particular caught his attention. Danny thrust his disturbing long black nails into the corpse, even more ectoplasm spurting out as he did it. When he found the object of his attention he yanked it out, the ghost’s core. His clawed hand held a glowing red orb, similar in appearance to a miniature sun. The core was hot to the touch but that did not stop him from cramming it in his mouth. His eyes widened slightly. It tasted better than anything he had ever eaten before. He swallowed it whole before ravenously tearing into the spectral flesh and devouring the corpse.   

 

When his hunger was satisfied he blacked out, slumping on top of the maimed ghost corpse. The corpse could barely be identified as anything other than the victim of a brutal murder. Its chest was torn open, ectoplasm turning the river bright green. Remains of the unidentifiable creatures limbs strewn about the grassy riverside, reminiscent of that of a horror movie scene.

 

The cloaked figure that appeared in his room faded into view by the horrific scene. He surveyed the area before his eyes landed on the injured halfa. The boy was coated head to toe in glowing green ectoplasm. The cloaked figure couldn’t tell how much came from the boy’s wounds or the slowly vanishing ghost corpse.  “God, Clocky, what have you gotten yourself into.” The ghost whispered in shock. “You could have warned me that my nephew was also a cannibal.”

 

The figure slowly made his way across the bloody riverside to his ‘nephew’. Once there he gently lifted the boy into his arms, trying not to jostle him too much. He then whisked the halfa away to where the boy currently dwells. So he could take care of Danny's wounds. And clean up the terrible mess without the child in his way. 

To Be Continued

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I honestly wasn’t going to make the story as dark as it has gotten, but somehow everything I write ends up taking a dark direction. There are so many stories I have made in the past that got way darker than they were supposed to. I am not sure if I should consider it a talent or a curse.


	7. Wolf Dog - Part One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter isn’t all that cheery either. Please proceed with caution.

Three days had passed since the incident by Fox River, a lot more hired ghosts had appeared after the fire ghost. Danny was exhausted. Fighting those assassins day and night was really starting to stress him out. Most of them had a fire core so who ever wanted him dead was trying to exploit his ice core’s weakness. He had no luck figuring out who had hire them. Threats and the fact he killed one of them were not enough to get them to speak. In the end he would just suck them into a thermos and throw them back into the Ghost Zone, preferably as far away from Vlad’s portal as possible. Sometimes he let them free around Walker’s haunt so the warden would harass them. It proved to be a great way to buy some time until they returned.

 

Danny had no idea what to make of the events that took place on that stormy night in Appleton. When he woke up after his episode he was in bed, his wounds were dressed, and he was no longer painted green with ghost blood. He knew some ghosts were cannibalistic, hell, his ghost ‘friends’ even warned him to not get within a hundred miles of them. Apparently he was one of those abominations, something he would have never guessed in a million year. God, was this why all of the ghosts in the future were so terrified of Dan?! They were fearing for their lives because he was a cannibal. Would they be equally as frightened if they discovered he is a cannibal?

 

Danny should have gone to talk to Clockwork, but he was afraid of what his ghost father would think of him. He would have talked to Vlad, but unfortunately the old fruit-loop had yet to return from his abrupt trip. Worry for the older halfa clawed at his heart. Vlad said he would be back in three days but he had not returned, and Danny knew he always made a point on being punctual. He couldn’t stop himself from thinking of all the horrible scenarios the fruit-loop could have gotten stuck in. Something had to of happened to Vlad for him to not call to inform Danny of any changes in his schedule. Danny wanted to go search for him, but the cursed secretive halfa never said where he was going.

 

After everything that transpired in the past days Danny really needed a break and to take some time to relax. Today he was going to visit Cujo, it had been quite some time since he last saw the grown up green ghost dog. Danny could have planned to visit his other spectral ‘friends’ but he did not feel like he could face his ghost ‘friends’ after what happened three days ago. At least Cujo wouldn’t judge him, after all the ghost dog was technically a cannibal too, he hunted other animal ghosts.

 

When he last saw the adorable green dog he was courting a beautiful black ghost wolf, before he meet her Danny never knew ghost wolves came in more colors than white and green. Cujo was absolutely head over heels in love with her. Danny named her Fajro. He got tired of not having anything to call her, and it wasn’t like she could tell him her name anyways. Plus she seemed to approve of the name. Hopefully they have been doing well. Danny prayed Cujo didn’t get his heart broken. Love was a pain in the ass sometimes.

 

Right now, Danny was standing alone in the mansion’s absurdly large kitchen. The only reason he was in there was to try to find some clue about where Vlad went. True to his word, Vlad had left a thousand dollars on the marble counter. The absurd amount of money sat on the counter, untouched. What on earth did Vlad think he was going to do with all that money? It wasn’t like he could walk around town and spend it without a bunch of people asking for his autograph. Danny had not eaten since the incident and he did not plan on eating any time soon. Just looking at food made him feel sick to his stomach. Even being in the same room as food was starting to make him feel queasy.

 

He began his journey to Vlad’s hidden lab, teleporting would have been easier than walking but he did not want to waste his energy. The faster he got to the Ghost Zone the less likely he was to get jumped by another ghost out for his blood/ectoplasm. In the lab Spooky was sleeping in her cage. He quietly crept towards the portal. Waking up Spooky would have terrible consequences. She was downright horrifying when she was tired. All the ghosts Danny was fighting kept managing to wake her up, leaving Spooky as sleep deprived as himself. Danny wished, well, not wished since that was a dangerous thing to do. There was no telling if Desiree was lurking somewhere nearby. He wished he knew who the hell he pissed off enough to send a group of assassins after him.   

 

Danny stepped through the portal. Since he wasn’t in his ghost form yet he plummeted downward. Free falling through the green void of the Ghost Zone. He was even having fun, twirling through the air, laughing for the first time in a while.  Of course that all ended when he noticed he was quickly approaching a door. “Fuck!” he cursed, smacking straight into the flouting purple object. Danny quickly transformed before he could face plant on another door.

 

“Even the _FUCKING DOORS_ are out to get me now!” Danny yelled, throwing his arms up in exasperation. What was up with his luck recently?! Why did all of this fucking bullshit have to happen to him?! An angry growl escaped his throat. Unknown to him, his teeth began to sharpen along with his darkening finger nails. The neon green of his eyes began to shift to a more toxic looking shade. “Let me guess! You’re secretly an assassin in disguise!” he snarled, pointing an accusatory finger at the purple door. “And now I’m arguing with inanimate objects. Great!”

 

As Danny aggressively pointed he realized his hand didn’t look quite right. His nails were twice their normal length and still growing. They also appeared to be getting dark by the second. He raised an eyebrow as he inspected his hand. It didn’t take long before the expression on his face was replaced with one of pure fear. The color drained from his face, his eyebrows raised and pulled together. “Okay, Danny. C-calm d-down.” Danny nervously stuttered to himself, trembling ever so slightly. “Your nails t-totally _aren’t_ turning b-black and getting longer.” Breath quickening as panic began to set in. Trembling transforming into uncontrollable shaking.  

 

He was becoming a _monster_! And there was _absolutely nothing_ he could do other than watch in horror. Thoughts of three days ago plaguing his mind. Mocking him. Reminding him of what he has become. Make him question whether or not the GIW was right about him. Right about him being a threat. Before his thoughts could continue a blur caught his attention. A bundle of fur slammed into this chest. _“Cujo.”_ Danny thought, clinging on to the creature like a life line. The ghost dog did make his lair close to Vlad’s portal so he could visit Danny more often.

 

In his current state he failed to notice the dog in his arms was far small than the friend he was thinking of. Curling up into a ball and holding the dog as close to him as possible, leaving them awkwardly floating in the Ghost Zone. Cujo didn’t appear to mind Danny’s death grip on him, in fact he gave the boy a comforting lick. His eyes squeezed shut as he nuzzled into his furry friend’s fur. It seemed fluffier than usual. Cujo was always there for Danny when he need him. Despite his valiant effort he couldn’t fight back a tiny sniffle. As time passed his breathing slowly returned to its normal pace, his hands and eyes changed back to their usual appearance. Even then Danny still held the dog close to his chest, his face buried in the dog’s fur.  

 

He felt like a child. A small humorless laugh brushed past his lips. Everything had been so much easier two years ago when he was fourteen. When he didn’t have ghost powers. Maybe he should just go get lost in the ever expanding Ghost Zone. Becoming lost forever did not sound have bad right now. Danny would not need to deal with all the assassins, GIW agents, criminals, and ghosts. He could run free and never look back… But he knew he could never go through with that plan. Clockwork, Dani, Jazz, Cujo, Dora, Pandora, Wulf, Frostbite, and Vlad would miss him if he left. They would have no idea if he was dead, well, more dead than his is already, or alive. It would be unfair to make them go through that. So Danny would stay… for now.

 

“Thanks Cujo.” Danny whispered, tightly holding on to the dog in his arms. He opened his eye and saw that the dog in his arms was definitely not Cujo. First of all, the dog was a puppy. “Oh, wait, you’re a different ghost dog. My mistake” He said in shock, as he took a good look at the puppy. They did have similar characteristics to Cujo but were also quite different. The puppy’s fur was dark grey and charcoal grey, pointy ears sat atop their head, their fur was fluffier and slightly longer than the green dog’s. Red eyes stared into his neon green. “Thanks for helping me anyways.” He uncurled and released his grip on the puppy.

 

“Do you want me to follow you?” Danny inquired, as the puppy excitedly circled him. “Lead the way, boy.” With that said the ghost dog took off only stopping for Danny to catch up with him. The little puppy needed a name. Danny could not call him Boy forever. Well, he could but it would be a terrible name for the dog. “Hmm. You need a name. How about Tondro?” he said, the little puppy’s ears perking at the sound of the name. “Well, what do you think?” The newly named Tondro flew around him, barking happily. The act elicited a chuckle from the depressed halfa. How did ghost dogs always find a way to cheer him up?

 


	8. Interlude: Vlad

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a rewrite of Vlad’s chapter so you can skip it if you want. I did not like the original version of this chapter, I’m not too happy with the rewrite either. But there isn’t really anything I can do about that.

Barely five minutes past after Vlad stepped through the portal before a distinct ring tone emanated from his pant pocket. _“Why now?!”_ He thought to himself. The human who managed to get Vlad to consider him a friend had terrible timing. Tom Silver had a magical way of always knowing when exactly Vlad did not want to be bothered. He waited for Daniel to be far enough away for his excellent hearing to not pick up on Vlad’s conversation. The boy continued slowly flouting through the Ghost Zone unaware he was no longer being followed. “This better be important!” Vlad growled into the phone, after confirming Daniel wouldn’t hear him. He heard a light chuckle from the other end.

 

“Oh, it’s nice to hear from you too. I’m doing great! Thanks for asking.” Tom sarcastically remarked. At least Vlad thought it was sarcasm. With Tom it was almost impossible to tell when the man was being sarcastic or just speaking normally. Even after all these years Vlad still couldn’t tell the difference. “Is this important or not?!” Vlad snapped, an irritated scowl on his face.

 

“Oh, I would say this is important alright. The results came back exactly how you predicted they would. Looks like you were right.” Tom said, ignoring Vlad’s attitude. Vlad never got along well with humans, but somehow Tom ignored everything about him humans usually hate. And easily manages to make him apologize. “I apologize for my rude behavior. Thank you for informing me.” Vlad said, sincerely. He glanced in Daniel’s direction. The boy appeared to have noticed Vlad’s absence and was now waiting on a purple staircase, quietly fiddling with his shoelaces. “Figured the ‘ _oh so mighty Vladimir_ ’ would like to know.” Tom said, his naturally sarcastic sounding voice as clear as day. “Anyways, looks like the kid died on the streets some time ago. I e-mailed you the address of his grave in case you want to check it out.” 

 

“I suggest you stop by soon. Looks like some people want to move his body to make space for corpses they think are more important. Well, see you later.” Tom stated before hanging up. The man was always in such a hurry, incapable of waiting for anyone to say ‘goodbye’ before rushing off. A long time ago Vlad learned to not take his antics personally. He flew over to the staircase Daniel made himself comfortable on. As soon as he got close the boy jumped up.

 

“Ready to go now?” Daniel inquired, excitedly. Vlad didn’t want to leave Daniel alone, especially on today of all days, but he needed to inspect that grave and its contents before they were gone forever. “I am sorry, Daniel. It seems something important has come up and I must leave immediately.” Vlad said, a hint of remorse crept into his voice. Daniel immediately deflated, shoulders drooping, his head faced toward the void below. It broke Vlad’s heart to see the look of sheer disappointment on the boy’s face. “Oh, okay…” Daniel said, voice barely above a whisper.

 

“I will make it up to you when I return. Goodbye, Daniel.” Vlad said, wrapping his arms around the other in an awkward attempt at a hug. Spending years alone affected his ability to show affection in a non-awkward way. “Be safe.” Danny mumbled into his shoulder.

 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_Later that day_

Leave a note for Daniel. Check. Leave plenty of money on the counter. Check. Vlad doubted Daniel would need it but he wanted to put it there on the off chance Daniel needed it later. Pack everything he needs for a couple of days in a suitcase. Check. Obtain location of grave. Check. All he needed to do now was hop in his private jet and head for New York City.

 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_Also later that day_

Vlad was currently on his jet headed to New York City. He was grateful he did not need to worry about any obnoxious passengers. Part of him was still shocked his random intuition had in fact been correct. Vlad hated the fact he had to leave Daniel alone on his death day. Hopefully he would find the note on his nightstand. Would Daniel heed his advice to have his bodyguard accompany him out? Would he eat properly while Vlad was gone? Would he stay out of trouble? Vlad couldn’t help but worry about these things. When did he get so over protective? It must have started when Daniel became more like a son to him.

 

Vlad had always imagined that it would be the best day of his life when the boy disowned his father. But it wasn’t. Daniel had been so scared. Not just of Jack, but Maddie as well. His little badger truly feared for his life. Vlad could hardly believe the boy when he arrived at his Amity Park mansion hysterical. He was drenched in sweat, tears streaming down his heartbroken face, barely able to articulate. It took an hour before Daniel was even able to speak properly.

 

Unfortunately it wasn’t long after that the two damned ghost hunters knocked on his door. They demanded he relinquish Daniel so they could take him back home for questionable reasons. At that point Vlad slammed the door right in their faces and went to comfort Daniel. He wished he had noticed the change in the two sooner. His reminiscing was cut short when he nodded off on the plane.

 

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_Day One in New York_

New York was obnoxiously loud. How could anyone live with this level of noise pollution? He was in the highest part of the Dalv corp. office building and he could still hear people shouting on the streets below. The sheer volume of the noise was distracting him from the stack of paperwork in front of him. As much as he loathed needing to work before completing his real goal he knew it was for the best. There was no point in drawing unwanted attention to himself by visiting a grave for no apparent reason.  

 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_Day Two in New York_

Vlad was on his way back to his hotel room after work. The sun had set hours ago. Some idiot he hired managed to mess up an important document so he had to stay late and fix the fool’s mistake. The brick wall he was walking past was covered in graffiti. One piece of the hooligan street art caught his attention, a large portion of hideous artworks were hidden by it. A bright blue starry night sky spanned over a majority of the wall. The work of art even contained accurate constellations. It reminded Vlad of Daniel. Vlad missed him, and the strange conversations they would have late at night. He should bring the boy here sometime and show him the magnificent piece of street art. Daniel would love it.   

 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_Day Three in New York_

After work he discretely made his way to his destination under the cover of night. A tall metal fence surrounded the area, the entrance wide open, graves of all shapes and sizes lined up in rows. Vlad walked through the cemetery until he found the true reason he traveled to New York City.

 

In front of him was an unmarked, unkempt grave. The name of its owner faded away, forever lost. But Vlad was positive it belonged to the person he was looking into. Before he could inspect the grave further he heard a distinct bang and felt a sharp pain in his shoulder. Vlad collapsed on the ground clutching his wound, blood and ectoplasm oozing from a gaping hole in his right shoulder. He was roughly yanked up and meet with the sight of the people he detested, the Guys In White. _“I should have exterminated these imbeciles when I had the chance.”_ Vlad thought, sneering at them.

 

“Well look at what we have here, a ghost masquerading as a human. Just like that pathetic ghost boy.” One agent mocked, slamming Vlad’s face into the ground. His nose bent in an odd direction, ghostly and human blood gushing out. “What should we do with it?” How on earth had they discovered his secret?! No one except Daniel knew and they both shared a mutual hatred for the GIW. Unless it was a ghost who ratted him out to these idiots. But why on earth would a ghost do that? “What do you want with me?” Vlad choked out, only to have his face smashed into the ground again in response. It was at that point he passed out from blood lose and possibly a concussion.          


	9. Wolf Dog - Part Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Halloween!

Tondro was quick. Danny struggled to keep up with the little ghost puppy. They had traveled so much distance he didn’t even know which part of the Ghost Zone they were in. None of the land marks looked familiar. Danny’s adventures most likely never gave him a reason to come this deep into the Ghost Zone. Islands were sparsely scattered around the area, many of which were adorned by thick green forests made of oak trees. There was a distinct lack of purple doors, staircases, and random flouting structures in the area. Tondro appeared to be leading him to the biggest island in this part of the Ghost Zone.

 

It was big, possibly larger than the entire Far Frozen. Unlike the smaller surrounding island this one was covered with tall blue tinted pine trees. An enormous icy mountain raised high into the green void above it. The mountain was barren aside from the occasional tree awkwardly perch on the sheer mountainside. It was definitely an island Danny wouldn’t mind living on. When he was fully human he hated the cold but now he relished its presence. The cold made him feel safe and comfortable. Every ghost felt protected around their element, mainly due to the advantages they have against attackers.    

 

Honestly, Danny didn’t feel too well after what he assumed was a panic attack. He was grateful Tondro managed to calm him down, though the embarrassment of mistaking Tondro for Cujo had yet to fade. The similarity between the two pointed in the direction of Tondro being Cujo’s son. Tondro has Cujo’s bulky body type and hints of Fajro’s wild wolf like features. It warmed his heart to think the little green pup has grown into such a fine ghost dog. Fajro was a perfect match for the hyperactive hound. She and Cujo balanced each other. They were like yin and yang. Too bad he couldn’t obtain such a balance with Sam. Perhaps it was impossible for halfas like him and Vlad to have a healthy relationships with humans. Or maybe Danny just hadn’t met the right people yet.

 

Far in front of Danny Tondro screeched to a halt on the island, dirt kicked off the ground forming a small dust trail in the air. The ghost dog was gracious enough to flop down on the ground and wait for him. When Danny finally reached the island he found himself winded. It was strange how flying somehow left him out of breath. Then again, flying is the ghost equivalent of walking so it kind of made sense. He quickly descended onto the edge of the island. A couple of feet from him was the edge of the forest. The pine trees were quite intimidating up close, they looked so much smaller when he had been far away. They stood at an impressive height of seventy feet. 

 

After taking a few minutes to catch his breath, Danny followed the hyper puppy deeper into the eerie woods. It was quite, a side from the sound of dirt and snow crunching under his feet. Somehow Tondro moved about without making a single sound. The lack of noise was unnerving. The entire forest was still. No bird calls rang throughout the trees, the insects were soundless, not even the trees or any other plant life rustled in the bone chilling breeze. To think he once thought Skulker’s island was creepy, at least that island wasn’t dead silent. This island was so quiet it almost had the same sensation of being in the eye of a storm. 

 

Danny started when the loud thumps of a large running animal began to get closer to them. To his surprise, the sudden sound of noise paw steps did not put Tondro on guard. The pup almost looked excited, tail wagging so fast it could break the sound barrier. And as expected a massive green dog threw Danny to the ground, pinning him down with one giant paw. The dog hovering over him was none other than Cujo. _“The ghost apple doesn’t fall far from the undead tree.”_ He could never figure out why the dog seemed to always need to barrel in to him. Too bad his son inherited that terrible habit.

 

Cujo had grown a lot since Danny last saw him. The majestic green beast towering over him was slightly smaller than the form puppy Cujo transformed into when he was provoked. Cujo looked equally as intimidating too. As Cujo got older his angry form became more terrifying then some of the creatures in Pandora’s Box. His claws became sharper and eyes went from a normal red to blood red. Fajro was the opposite of Cujo. She was smaller than your average ghost wolf. Regardless of her size, she was more than capable of holding her own in a fight. She strode around wherever she was like she owned the place. Long fiery charcoal fur hung off her slender frame, her midnight blue eyes sharp enough to make even Pariah Dark cower before her.   

 

Before Danny was freed from Cujo’s mighty grip, the ghost dog licked his face causing him to gag. “Ew!” Danny exclaimed in disgust, wiping his slobber covered face on his coat’s sleeve. He shot the ghost dog a annoyed look as he pulled himself off the ground, using his hands to brush the spectral snow off his clothes once he was standing upright. Cujo ignored the look Danny was giving him in favor of running off into the woods with his son right behind him. Danny sighed, dashing after the energetic ghost dogs.

 

Eventually the two dogs slowed down enough for Danny to jog beside them. He was enjoying a leisurely stroll with them, occasionally stopping to take in the silent forests scenery. Everything was going great until he saw the bloody injured form of Fajro pulling herself off the snowy ground. Cujo rushed over and helped her up, Tondro wasn’t too far behind. “Fajro! What happened?!” Danny cried, sprinting up to the she wolf and inspecting her injuries. Deep bloody claw marks stretched across her back left leg, shallow scratches littered her face, and a large gash dribbling large amounts of ectoplasm laid on her chest. Who or what did this?! Fajro didn’t deserve this. She was the best ghost wolf Danny has ever met. She was nice and refrained from attacking everything that moved, unlike other ghost wolves. Now a days Danny did kind of wish that green and white ghost wolf had killed Sam. He knew it was a terrible thought, but he couldn’t seem to get rid of the heartache and pain she has caused him. Ghosts did have issues with grudges. So now he was a cannibal and spiteful. What next, will he become a fairy unicorn ghost?

 

“Murdisto has invaded our territory and stolen our pups. He used my core’s weakness against me. I was too weakened to chase after him.” Danny froze, eyes widening, his hand hovering over Fajro’s wounded leg. Who said that? The voice was distinctly female and there was only one woman in the forest with him. Danny slowly raised his head and looked Fajro dead in the eyes. “Did you just speak?” he cautiously asked, half expecting an answer and half expecting being completely insane. Honestly, with all the bullshit going on in his life he was more inclined to believe the latter. The injured wolf gave him a calculating look, Danny suppressed a shiver as she gazed at him. Tondro barked something at her.

 

“Hmm, how intriguing. So the young halfa pup has finally eaten his first kill. That would explain why you can now understand our language.” Fajro said, her voice like velvet. It carried an odd dignified tone he would have never expected a wolf to have. Danny gaped at her, blinking owlishly. _“Fajro can speak. She can actually speak.”_ Danny thought. Why could he understand her now? What did his brutal murder of that fire ghost have to do with this? “Language?” He repeated the last word, a hint of curiosity in his voice. They have a language? Fajro cocked her head, squinting at him in a confused fashion. Was his question really that weird?

 

“What, did you thing cannibals were incapable of speech? We need some way to communicate with each other.” Fajro stated as if it was common knowledge. It was definitely not something he was familiar with. His ghost ‘friends’ had lead him to believe cannibals were senseless, insane creatures. But Danny wasn’t crazy, at least he thought he wasn’t. Suddenly talking to ghost animals could be considered a sign of an unstable mental state. Man, Jazz would have a field day with him right now. Psychology had always been her area of expertise. Maybe he should give her a call soon, just to make sure he wasn’t losing his mind. 

 

Danny glanced to the giant dog next to them, the worried expression on Cujo’s muzzle broke his heart. The poor ghost hound must be unbearably concerned for his children’s safety. Whoever this ‘Murdisto’ was they were soon going to regret their decision. And Danny was going to make sure they never bothered Cujo’s family again. A sudden thought occurred to him and he couldn’t help voicing it. “What about Cujo and Tondro? They haven’t said anything.” Danny focused his gaze on the father and son. Tondro was wandering around in a circle, occasional tilting his head up ward to sniff the air. “My beloved is a ghost hound of few words. As for the pup - Tondro as you call him - is too young to speak our complex language. The most he can manage is the language of ghost hounds.” Fajro replied, slowly sinking to the ground with Cujo supporting her.   

 

Danny soon found himself siting more or less comfortably on the snowy ground alongside Cujo. A person could only bend over for so long before their back starts to hurt. This whole time she actually could have told him her name. “You know I was never able to ask you for your name before. Wha-” Danny began but was interrupted by Fajro before he could finish. She had a certain sparkle in her eyes and a gentle smile Danny had never witnessed before. “The name Fajro suits me just fine. I quite like it so you may continue referring to me as Fajro.” Fajro said. “Plus, we have far more important matters to discuss, like the retrieval of me and Cujo’s pups.”

 

“So who is Murdisto? And why did he steal your children?” Danny inquired, Fajro made a distasteful huff when he spoke the culprit’s name. Tondro wandered over and snuggled into Danny’s lap. “Murdisto is a jealous old hound who refuses to acknowledge the fact that I am uninterested in having a life with him. My beloved has already battled him numerous times to prove he is worthy of my affections. Even if Cujo had lost those fights I would have chosen to spend the rest of my life with him.” Fajro explained. “As for why he stole our children, I have no idea. It is possible he plans to kill them.”

 

“Any idea where he might have taken them?” Danny asked, Fajro hummed thoughtfully. Wherever that dastard went Danny would find him. There was no why in the afterlife he would allow Cujo and Fajro’s children to be killed by some creep who couldn’t take a hint. “I would suggest checking the glade on the other side of the mountain. That is where we first meet.” Fajro answered after a moment, picking nervously at the snow with one paw. Danny made a silent vow to save the puppies as quickly as possible.


	10. Wolf Dog - Part Three

Ghostly blue pine trees stretched out far beyond what the eye can see. Danny begun his trek to the clearing Fajro told him about as quickly as possible. This was a time sensitive quest, and he could not afford to goof off. Every second spent standing – or flouting, in his case – around was a second wasted. The icy chill nipping at his ghostly flesh gave him a sense of comfort, soothing his nerves. This trip was meant to rid him of his stress but instead Danny is even more stressed than before. Part of him contemplated screaming at the sky – Well, the direction of the sky since the Ghost Zone does not have a sky.

 

Either way, yelling at the gods like in a cliché scene of movie would accomplish nothing. He passed by the scenery in a blur, not slowing down for any reason. While a more experienced tactician might refrain from wasting so much energy, Danny was not going to risk getting there too late. It’s not like there were any noteworthy scenery in the forest any ways. All the trees looked exactly the same. So far a rock had been the most exciting thing he had seen during his flight.

 

The forest was as void of supernatural life as it seemed when he arrived. No spectral animals frolicked in the snow. No ghastly bugs chirped irritating tunes. Danny has been flying for quite a while and not even a shapeless ghost blob had made an appearance. The lack of life added to his discomfort. But regardless of how Danny felt, he would help Fajro and Cujo by saving their puppies.

 

Danny allowed himself a moment to think back to before he left the worried mother and father, including the confused and scared Tondro. The poor puppy did not know what to make of the situation. Cujo looked so distraught at the prospect of never seeing his children again. To think the normally happy dog couldn’t even find comfort by his wife’s side during this unfortunate event. Fajro was trying to stay strong, but Danny could tell she was grieving more than Cujo. She truly believed her children could already be dead, while Cujo hoped they were alive.

 

There was no way in hell that _beast_ would escape that glade alive after threatening the lives of innocent puppies. The lives of his dear friends’ children no less. His battle with Murdisto would be a fight to the death! Or a fight to the permanent death… Hopefully, there is no second afterlife. Regardless, that bastard would be dead by the end of the day. When did he become so violent? Honestly, Danny has no idea.

 

Through the thinning tree branches Danny could see the forest clearing in the distance. Not wanting to waste any more valuable time, he sped up, despite his aching body’s protest. Is he exhausted? Yes. Will he let that stand between him and saving Cujo’s children? Hell no! As quick as, if not faster than, a cheetah, he broke through the trees. The glade was small, undecorated by anything other than snow and the paw prints of his enemy.

 

Danny immediately spotted the soon to be permanently dead spectral wolf. A beast half the size of Cujo with thick dark green fur coating its body stood at the edge of the clearing. Signs of its scuffle with Fajro were still present in the form of drying neon green ectoplasm and shallow gashes made by claws and fangs.

 

The monster’s back was turn, and it showed no signs of realizing it had company. Naturally, the enraged halfa took advantage of the situation and fired a ghost ray at the unsuspecting ghost. The glowing green ball of ecto-energy hit the beast right in the middle of its back, rewarding Danny with a yelp of pain and surprise. He had put so much force into the blow that the beast went stumbling forward. A patch of slightly bloody, seared fur remained at the area of impact. Wisps of green smoke rose from the injury and ascended into the air.

 

Sure, that wasn’t a very honorable attack but he had no time for boring monologues or banter. Danny fully intended to take this battle seriously. He would use every attack in his arsenal, even the dirty ones. The monster whirled around to face Danny, revealing its hideous face. A large gnarly scar adorned the left side of its face and ran right through an ugly deformed eye. The misshapen eye no longer held any color, or pupil, or anything that makes an eye look like an eye. It was just an ominous white sphere that sent a chill down Danny’s spine. The worst part is he couldn’t tell if it was looking at him.

 

Both ears appeared to be horribly torn, likely from a battle years ago. Danny briefly wondered if the monstrous hound could hear. Considering how much trouble Fajro has had informing the beast she has no interest in him, Danny was pretty sure words went in through one ear and right out the other. Either that or this wolf has major problems accepting reality and not some deluded fantasy. Honestly, this creep was even worse than Vlad. At least Vlad knew when to back off and has some sense of decency.

 

By far, the monster’s worst feature was the missing chunk of flesh from its chest and part of its neck. It was a horrifying, but thankfully, healed wound that look as though a vicious ghost inflicted the injury when attempting to bite the wolf’s head off. Danny almost gagged at the sight of it. The way veins popped out and pulsed was more than a little disturbing. It definitely made Danny wish he had a fire core so he could burn the monstrosity before him into a pile of ash. Based on the nasty glare he was on the receiving end of, Murdisto harbored a similar feeling for Danny.

 

Danny returned Murdisto’s glare with his own hate filled one, eyes glowing toxic green for dramatic effect. Very slowly, he flouted down to the ground. Snow softly crunching under his feet as he landed. The beast made no move. Merely gauging the threat level of his new foe with his good eye. Since Murdisto appeared reluctant to make the first move Danny did. He venomously spat one word, a name to be exact, as he approached the ghost, “Murdisto!”


End file.
